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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

My New Favorite Cookbook (And I Mean It This Time)

I think I'm in danger of getting a reputation as the girl who cried wolf when it comes to cookbooks. I've declared a new favorite at least three different times now. First there was this one. Then there was this one, and then this one (which, to be fair, could technically be classified as my favorite baking book). While I still enjoy all of those, I think I may have found my favorite favorite: Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights by Sophie Dahl (granddaughter of Roald).

The book itself is gorgeously designed. Just reading it makes me feel like I too can sip something out of a pretty China cup while wearing wellies, tights, and a bohemian sweater coat. The recipes themselves, organized into breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes for each season, are simultaneously unique and simple. Memoirs about the role food has played in Dahl's life accompany each season and are perfect for reading while risotto simmers or while you're waiting for an egg to poach.

In the span of a week, I've made poached eggs over portobello mushrooms with goat cheese:

...brown rice risotto with pumpkin and marscapone:

...and Eton mess, a British dessert made by combining the most delicious, light-as-air, crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside meringues with whipped cream and raspberry compote:

I can't recommend this book highly enough. (Although I reserve the right to crown a new favorite when her new book comes out in April.)